


His Final Fifteen Seconds

by Stop_Klancing_Around



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Tragedy, Gen, Keith (Voltron)-centric, Mild Language, Post Season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-07
Updated: 2018-07-07
Packaged: 2019-06-06 21:22:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15203747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stop_Klancing_Around/pseuds/Stop_Klancing_Around
Summary: "After a few weeks, Keith looks like he's been cruising with death. His eyes were giving birth to dark bags, he was snappier than usual, and his ribs began to poke out to say hello. Keith has been getting tired out after the first 30 minutes of training and his mind began to dream of finding Shiro in midst of diplomat meetings.It was today that Coran called Keith and Lance over to do something outside the castle. Keith would like to sleep...but a paladin’s work is first huh. He was leaning heavily on the wall while Coran and Lance spoke."Keith and Lance are to do maintenance work outside the castle when the airlock opens.





	His Final Fifteen Seconds

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, it has been some time since I updated.  
> This is me slow coming back with new fics. Daily shifts AU is still going to be updated in due time.
> 
> I had this concept of this particular fic for a few months and it was sitting unfinished in my Docs so I decided to finish this up. This is a gen fic but, could be read as a Klance if you want.
> 
> Thanks again to [Ray](raythenerdyfangirl.tumblr.com) for being my beta again.
> 
> I kept you up long enough so enjoy >:)

Things have been very hectic ever since Shiro disappeared. Keith’s workload has increased dramatically. Between finding Shiro in the rubble of their last fight with Zarkon, leading an entire team of paladins, and training Keith rarely has any time for himself. 

Lately, he's been running himself down to the bone and everyone has started to take notice. Including Lance of all things. Allura tends to end their training sessions earlier than normal for Keith to relax or sleep. Keith doesn’t. Hunk puts a lot more food on his plate in favor of him to eat more. Keith eats barely half the plate before he's out of the mess hall and into the Black lion in search of Shiro. Pidge starts talking to him more so that he can talk about what's been happening for the past few months. Keith’s mind has been doing accidental backflips behind Pidge’s hair. Lance had went through such lengths with not starting fights with Keith and even begin talking to Keith with a soft voice. Keith was grateful for that because he knows that if the both of them began bickering, Keith will not last and will resort to hands after a few seconds.

After a few weeks, Keith looks like he's been cruising with death. His eyes were giving birth to dark bags, he was snappier than usual, and his ribs began to poke out to say hello. Keith has been getting tired out after the first 30 minutes of training and his mind began to dream of finding Shiro in midst of diplomat meetings.

It was today that Coran called Keith and Lance over to do something outside the castle. Keith would like to sleep...but a paladin’s work is first huh. He was leaning heavily on the wall while Coran and Lance spoke.

“So what are we doing again?” Lance asks Coran

“Oh, you are to change some of the wirings on the black section of the castle of the lions,” Coran said

“Why can’t Pidge do it? They can do that with much more efficiency than the both of us.” Keith said.

“Pidge is working on recording the altean library to collect data while the castle is idle,” Coran said.

“Figures. I’m guessing that you would be guiding us through?” Lance said.

“Yes, number 3.” With that, Coran walks off, leaving Keith and Lance to their own devices. Keith begins to go to the locker room where all of their paladin suits are while Lance tails him. Since it's just maintenance work, the both of them opted to go out with their action suits because it was less bulky. 

Lance looks at Keith with a long look and sighs.

“Keith, are you okay?”

“Yes”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes”

“Keith, please look at yourself. You look like shit and will be in deep shit if you keep up at the pace that you are going.”

“Lance can we not start this. Please. I don’t have time for this.”

“Why not? We have all of the time in space.”

“Because I don’t want to talk about it. Drop it.” Keith begins to walk out of the locker room with his helmet perched on his hip. Lance walks with him.

“Your fucking health is on the line and you don’t want to talk about it. That’s real rich.”

“Okay, so why do you care? Are you not my ‘rival’ Lance” Lance stopped walking and really looks at Keith. He kept going until he stopped in front of airlock 12.

“You’re joking right?” Keith turns to Lance. Lance could feel the tired look that Keith was giving out. All Lance wants to do is to give this boy a damn nap and take care of him until Keith was able to haul Hunk around the castle with vigor. Keith, on the other hand, was not having any of it.

“I wish I could joke.”

“You do know that there are people here that would care if you got sucked out of an airlock, God forbid.”

“And so what does that have anything to do with my health?”

“Do you not hear the words that are coming out of your mouth? The fuck is wrong with you? Do you not care about yourself at all?” 

“Until I find Shiro I can’t rest. I don’t care if it’s a strand of hair or a piece of him. Just SOMETHING to prove that he didn’t make a good ass fucking Houdini trick in SPACE.” 

Their argument had picked up steam and volume to the point where they were throwing verbal bullets at each other. Lance didn’t hear Coran’s fearful voice pleading him to listen and to back away from airlock 12 because it had malfunctioned. Keith didn’t see the lights flashing desperately to get his attention to run or find cover. The airlock alarms begin to scream, shaking the both of them out of the argument to address the situation. Airlock 12 began to open its door and Lance felt the dread seep into his skin and the sheer terror that clutched his stomach and heart. Keith wasn’t wearing his helmet. It seems that God didn’t heed the last part of Lance’s sentence.

“WAIT, DON’T OPEN THE AIRLOCK” It was a second too late as the alarms blare out of the door. Everything seemed to be placed fast forward after that. Lance begins to sprint towards Keith in a futile attempt to pull him out of the way, but he was just a foot too late. Keith was a mere second away from successfully putting on the helmet when he was ripped out of the castle with the only emotion that was sloppily slapped on his face. Fear. 

 

15

Keith was floating among the stars and drifting quickly away from the castle.

14

“If you were to catch yourself outside of space without a suit, God forbid, don’t hold your breath, Expel all of the air out of your lungs before your lungs rupture.” For once in his life, Keith didn’t expect to hear Iverson in a grim time but was thankful none of the less.

13

Keith looks wildly for his helmet when he sees it to the left of his hand. He begins to reach frantically to his helmet, but it was just out of his reach. He would curse it out if it wasn’t for the vacuum trying to rip his head from his body. Keith silently thanks the paladin suit.

12

It's eerily silent in space. Nothing is here to hear Keith’s cries of help if he could manage. The castle seems small now. 

‘Everything burns’ Keith thought. He wants to close his eyes to stop the burning but fears that he will never be able to open them again.

11

For the longest second, it felt like his mother was looking at him from a distance. His dad was holding Keith as his mother yells out towards them that she will be back with a bigger ship to take all three of them into the great blue sky. She never came back after that day and after a few years later, his dad never came back from work either.

10

Since Keith’s chances of surviving this are growing smaller he begins to apologize to everyone.

I’m Sorry, Coran

9

I’m sorry, Allura

8

I’m sorry, Hunk

7

I’m sorry, Pidge

6

I’m so sorry, Shiro

5

I’m so sorry, Lance

4

Keith’s vision slowly begins to fade out. At the corner of his eye, he sees Lance to the left of him. Speak of the devil, Keith thought. He sees Lance throwing his bayard to his helmet. Keith wanted to tell him not to do it because he will lose the Red Bayard. He didn’t really see where the bayard will collide with it.

3

The bayard softly connects with Keith’s helmet and it gives it enough momentum to brush Keith’s palm. Lance at this point has already gotten to Keith and helps him put on the helmet.

2

Communications are back online and every single scream from the castle is making an atrocious tune in his helmet. 

1

Red is running towards them with such speeds and swallows them in fear that it would lose both its paladins.

0

The paladin was lost within the stars.

**Author's Note:**

> So how did you like it?  
> Do leave comments and kudos because they make really happy. :)
> 
>  
> 
> Until Next Time  
> [Tumblr](https://stop-klancing-around.tumblr.com)


End file.
